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EVERGLADES AND FRANCIS S. TAYLOR WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA ? Governor Charlie Crist today toured the Florida Everglades with United States Senator Bill Nelson
and United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to discuss Florida?s
natural resources. Governor Crist highlighted Florida?s commitment to the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), the 50/50 state and federal
partnership to restore and protect the Everglades. He also discussed the
long-term needs of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river basin.
?The Florida Everglades is a place known throughout the world for its
abundant wildlife, and it is also essential to the water supply of the people of
Florida,? Governor Crist said. ?I have made Everglades restoration and the
conservation of Florida?s natural resources a high priority so that future
generations can experience the Florida we love."
Also joining Governor Crist for the tour were Florida Department of
Environmental Protection Secretary Michael W. Sole and Thomas Strickland, United
States Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
?I am grateful to Senator Nelson, Secretary Salazar and Assistant Secretary
Strickland for taking the time to explore America?s Everglades, and to meet with
the stakeholders whose support is crucial to the restoration of this
one-of-a-kind ecosystem,? said Secretary Sole. ?It is especially important right
now, to renew our commitment and cooperation to the federal/state partnership,
and reaffirm our dedication to completing the projects needed to restore the
River of Grass.?
During the tour, Governor Crist encouraged Secretary Salazar to enlist
federal support for Everglades restoration and a resolution to the tri-state
water controversy. Specifically, Governor Crist requested the following items:
Partnership to Preserve the River of Grass
Governor Crist acknowledged President Obama?s request for $279 million for
Everglades restoration funding in the federal Fiscal Year 2010 budget and
requested that the partnership continue. He also asked that the Department of
the Interior review the expectations and long-term goals of Everglades
restoration.
Preserving Florida?s Waterways
Governor Crist also called on Secretary Salazar to address the tri-state
water controversy over the management of the reservoirs on the Apalachicola,
Chattahoochee and Flint river systems. He emphasized that the impacts of drought
on the three-river basin are not limited to Georgia. The drought and resulting
flow reductions also threaten the very existence for some 1,300 families of
third and fourth-generation oystermen and the economy of the Apalachicola
community. Florida?s Apalachicola River and Bay is the most productive contained
commercial fishery in Florida.
?This is a tri-state problem which requires a tri-state solution, and it is
imperative that we work toward a long-term solution, or else we will find
ourselves facing a crisis every year,? Governor Crist said. ?Florida recognizes
that a solution must include an equitable sharing of adversity.?
Governor Crist encouraged the Department of the Interior to engage in
meaningful and independent participation as Florida, Georgia and Alabama explore
equitable sharing of water resources. He also requested that the Department of
the Interior conduct a comprehensive review of the cumulative downstream effects
that have occurred to threatened and endangered species, as well as the
environment. The review would quantify the impacts associated with the federal
government?s management of the system.
About the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin
In December 2007, Governor Crist met with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and
Alabama Governor Bob Riley at the Governor?s Mansion in Tallahassee to discuss
water conservation and a revised schedule of water flow. Since then, the
Governors have continued to discuss the steps needed to move toward a new
drought protocol for all three states, along with participation from the United
States Department of the Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service.
The total commercial fishing industry in the Apalachicola Bay is responsible
for $134 million in direct economic output and an additional $71 million in
indirect value-added impacts. The region produces 90 percent of Florida?s oyster
supply, 10 percent of the nation?s oysters, and the state?s third-largest shrimp
harvest.
About Everglades Restoration
Florida?s Everglades restoration efforts are truly historic. To date, Florida
has invested more than $2.4 billion in the 30-year, $10.9 billion Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan, the 50/50 state and federal partnership to restore
and protect the Everglades. During the two tightest budget years in Florida
history, $50 million has been dedicated for Everglades restoration in both 2008
and 2009 to continue the state?s partnership with the federal government. The
Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District recently agreed
to invest approximately $530 million for 72,500 acres of property south of Lake
Okeechobee. The district will have an option to purchase another 107,500 acres
for restoration within 10 years after closing.
In 2007, Governor Crist worked to expand the Lake Okeechobee Protection Act
to safeguard the entire northern Everglades system, including the Lake
Okeechobee watershed as well as the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and
estuaries. He has worked to protect and improve the quality, quantity, timing
and distribution of water north of Lake Okeechobee. Additionally, the
continuation of the Florida Forever program is a key component to securing the
future of the Everglades.
Governor Charlie Crist?s letter to United States Secretary of the Interior
Ken Salazar:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/news/2009/05/files/052809_salazar.pdf. |
2012 State of Florida